Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Early Edo blade signed “Fujiwara Yoshikuni saku”, with an ubu tang of a single mekugi-ana, Tokubetsu Hozon papers and a period uchigatana koshirae with a gold-inlaid tsuba.
An early Edo blade signed “Fujiwara Yoshikuni saku”; the original seller does not state the smith's province. It measures 70.7 cm of nagasa with 1.5 cm of sori, 31.0 mm of motohaba and 7.7 mm of motokasane, with a clear taper from base to point and a somewhat elongated chū-kissaki. The hada is ko-itame with mokume, well forged and slightly standing; the hamon is notare with gunome, with fine activity along the edge, ashi and yō in the heads of the temper line, and a burnt gunome below the yokote; the bōshi runs straight to a round point. The tang remains ubu, clean and with no visible retouching, with a single mekugi-ana. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper was issued in August 2025. The blade comes with an uchigatana koshirae: dark chestnut lacquered saya, black ito over same, gold menuki and a round iron tsuba with bamboo inlaid in gold, two gilt seppa, a gold habaki, plus shirasaya and tsunagi. It weighs 781 g bare and 1,097 g mounted.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper issued in August 2025
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- 70.7 cm of nagasa: 781 g bare and 1,097 g mounted
- Period uchigatana koshirae with an iron tsuba inlaid with bamboo in gold
- Ko-itame hada with mokume and a notare-gunome hamon with ashi and yō
- Supplied with shirasaya and tsunagi
Points to bear in mind
- The signature carries no date
- The smith's province is not stated
- The original seller warns that the tsuba rattles and that the hilt has slight play
- The fittings have no tōsōgu papers of their own
Score
129.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller declares flaws 0 · black rust (kuro-sabi) −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
+15
Mounting described, undated +5 · signed fittings: 1 +10
-
Blade
+10
70.7 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+29.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +29.4
The score adds and subtracts points for each feature of the piece and has no ceiling: the highest in the catalogue today is 255. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. The mounting starts from what is known of its period, adds what vouches for it (its own NBTHK paper, a signed fitting, a crest) and subtracts what has been restored (saya, ito, same, habaki or sageo).
Measurements
- Nagasa
- 70.7 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Fujiwara Yoshikuni
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Early Edo period
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Paper date
- 22 August 2025
- Condition
- With a warning from the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 31,0 mm
- Motokasane
- 7,7 mm
- Sakihaba
- monouchi 24,7 mm · yokote 19,8 mm
- Sakikasane
- monouchi 5,8 mm · matsuba 4,4 mm
- Blade weight
- 781 g desnuda · 1.097 g montada sin saya
A new mounting or a polish for your blade? Custom koshirae · Polishing